Secondary electric clock.



E. A. HUMMEL. SEGONDARY ELEGTRIG CLOGK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1907.

1,021,045 Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

E. A. HUMMEL.

SECONDARY ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1907.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I w war/W COLUMBIA PLANO UNITE STATS PATNT FFICE.

ERNEST A. HUMMEL, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT Ii. I-IAIVIAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

SECONDARY ELECTRIC CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 31, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST A. HUMMEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Secondary Electric Clocks, of which the following a specification.

My invention consists in improvements in means for electrically connecting railway engine or train clocks, its object being particularly to provide means whereby all the clocks carried by the engines or train may be synchronized from a. single time wire.

To this end my invention consists in the features of construction and combination hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an engine clock and supporting bracket with connected time wire; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower end of the clock frame; Fig. 3 is a similar view taken from the opposite side; Fig. l: is a front elevation of the lower end of the clock and supporting bracket broken away; Fig. 5 is a section on line e-a of Fig. 1; Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical sections showing the different positions of the movable parts; and Fig. 8 is a view of the key used in connection with the invention.

In the drawings A represents an engine or train clock provided wit-h a downwardly extending tapered shank 2. In order to removably support the clock I provide a bracket 3 shaped to receive the shank 2. The shank is formed upon one side with a recess 4 to receive the lower end of a latch 5. The latch 5 has pivotal support 6 in a housing 7 upon the side of the bracket and is normally held forced inward by a spring 8. The latch 5 is turned out of locking position by means of a key 9 cooperating with a key notch 10 in the latch whereby the latch will be turned outward against the stop 11, as shown in Fig. 8. The clock shank is further held in position in the bracket by means of a spring 12 supported in the front side of the bracket and bearing against the shank 2.

Within the clock any suitable electrically actuated synchronizing or correcting apparatus may be arranged. Such synchronizing apparatus will be actuated from the line each wire 13 in the following described manner: The line wire 13 connects with a post 14: supported in one side of the bracket and insulated therefrom by a sheet of insulating material 15. Supported by the inner end of the post 1 1 is a contacting spring 16 adapted to make contact with a plate 17 suitably connected with the mechanism inside the clock, the plate 17 being insulated from the clock by a strip of insulating material 19. The return circuit is made by means of a ground wire 20 leading from the opposite side of the bracket. The bracket is formed with cars 21 through which screws may be passed to support the bracket and clock from a wall or other suitable place of support.

In order to prevent access to the hands while the clock is in the bracket I provide the clock face 22 with a lug 23 which engages with a lug 24 carried by the bracket when the clock is in position as shown in Fig. 1 preventing the clock face being unscrewed.

In use the clock becomes electrically connected wit-h the line wire upon being placed within the bracket. lVhen the clock is placed in the bracket the latch 5 will spring into the socket 4 locking the clock against removal. The clock will then be synchronized in the ordinary manner through the line wire 1.3. When it is desired to remove the clock the latch 5 will first have to be turned into the position shown in Fig. 8 by means of the key 9. It will be evident that a plurality of brackets may be arranged in series as to allow a number of clocks to be simultaneously synchronized.

Various modifications of the construction shown in the drawings may be made without departing from the idea of the invention which consists essentially in means for making detachable electrical connectionbetween a plurality of clocks and a time wire Whereby the clocks, as the clocks of different engines or trains, may be simultaneously synchronized from said time wire.

I claim:

1. In combination-a plurality of clocks provided with a hollow projecting shank, brackets formed with sockets to receive said shanks, a time wire connected with said brackets, and means connecting said time wire with said shanks when said clocks are supported by said brackets.

2. In combination a plurality of clocks each provided with a hollow downwardly projecting shank, brackets formed with sockets to receive said. shanks, a time ire connected with said brackets, means connecting said wire with said shanks when said clocks are supported by said brackets, and key actuated means clocks in said brackets.

3. In combination, a clock provided with an extension, a bracket constructed to removably receive said extension, a time wire in series with and constituting a. circuit through said bracket, means for locking for locking said said extension in said bracket, means for electrically connecting said extension and 15 bracket, a removable face for said bracket, and means for interlocking said clock face in the bracket to prevent said clock face being opened.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 2 in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST A. HUMMEL.

Witnesses ARTHUR P. Lorrmor, HArrm SMITH.

4- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

